Neighbour’s request to trim a shrub on the boundary

[PinkCamelias]

We got a letter today from a neighbour whose garden borders ours at the back. He has requested that we significantly reduce our “seriously oversized”laurel shrub, because it overshadows his pear tree. He wishes we trimmed it to the height of the pear tree. He sent a letter last year too with the same request, and also to remove the ivy from the wall. We moved in a year and a half ago and we have never met him. He never rings the doorbell, just puts the letters through the door. We removed the ivy, because incidentally it had been planned anyway before his letter and the gardener did it the following week. However, I have no intention to reduce the shrub, I actually let it grow, but make sure the branches don’t overhang into his garden. It gives us shade and privacy, especially from somebody’s extension’s window further back. The shrub is maybe 3, 5 m tall (the boundary wall is 2 m tall). The thing is that all the houses around, including mine and his, are very tall and obviously they cast shade so I don’t understand why he thinks it’s the shrub! His garden is also long, we share maybe one third of his wall. The shrub is planted at the end of our west facing wall, so east facing for him.

Does he have a point, or am I right?

I would love to! One thing I really miss here is a tree near the house. No space for it, though. I think I will only manage some Japanese acers (put one already) and a restrained-root fig tree. I'd love it if my neighbours on the left had a tree near the border...

Ok, but nor is it invasive, like a cherry laurel, so I exlained that. I actually love a bay tree - I use the leaves for cooking and I love the smell when i walk past it. It reminds me of Italy! I agree with you, though, and I would have chosen a different tree if I were to plant it several year ago. Now I have this, and I need it for shade and privacy. It is trimmed in a fan shape, no branches overhanging the neighbour's side. I have planted two viburnum for berries, and seasonal interest.

I’d wait until he had the courtesy to knock on the door and then tell him a polite no. He is, of course, entitled to trim any over hang on his side.

'Oh no, we actually bought it because of the lovely bay, it was one of the things we loved about the place'.

Why does he need to knock in person to make a request? Maybe he's shy/time constraint/ socially awkward? And also why make him come to the door and just say no? Some people are so aggressive when they think they're being polite...

What a pity you didn't get the letter - it must have got thrown out with the junk mail rubbish.

Id write back and invite him to call to discuss or state that I'm not intending to cut it back at the moment as I want to use it fir screening my view but he can cut off any overhanging branches if he would like to.

I'd just ignore him. Before he wants more and more cut back.. He is free to move or buy a new tree of his choice and plant it in a sunnier spot.. He can do his garden and you do yours.. Pandering to such people never ends well imo.

I think I am most inclined to do that, @ByQuaintAzureWasp . His letters seem a bit patronizing, because he's elderly and he's been here for decades, but I will give him a benefit of a doubt that he maybe doesn't know it comes across like that. I could tell him that we will thin the shrub in winter and reduce it when the screening is achieved (for this we still need a bit of growth on the sides, but not necessarily upwards). Now, let's see if I do that or if my laziness wins...

Oh you're one of those people. By law since it's on your side you don't have to do anything that said do you really want to make an enemy of him?

I’d just ignore him, works a treat with neighbours.

@PinkCamelias It cannot be on the boundary then if it doesn’t overhang. Bays can be grown and trimmed into a small shrub. They produce plenty of leaves!

Why? It is though. The wall on the boundary is 2 m tall, maybe a bit more, and 30-40 cm thick. The bay grows upright, with branches going up and to the sides, like a fan. It is maybe 1 m deep, and the part above the wall is flat (on both sides, mine and his). The neighbour said in his first letter that he had trimmed the overhanging branches; this was before we moved in, and indeed we found all them neatly thrown onto our side. The gardener trimmed it again this winter. Of course, if they weren't trimmed, they would overhang, or rather stick our. He didn't complain about it now, naturally.

It’s not about making enemies, that wouldn’t bother me anyway, it’s putting over the point that his demands via letter will not be given in to.

Give in once and he’d be firing off letters when something doesn’t suit him. Bugger that.

Because bugger that. He has no right to ask and his reasoning is daft. I wouldn’t be wandering around posting replies in letterboxes. And writing is passive aggressive anyway - why not knock the door to chat about it like grown ups? For a shy person he doesn’t seem backward in coming forward to get what he wants. Next thing she’s losing her privacy - no thanks.

@PinkCamelias As an owner of a vast number of trees, very few are flat! My Amangowa cherry trees are upright but most laurel bays are not just 1 m wide unless they have been trimmed to be like that. In general a bay is a standard shaped tree! However he could trim back stray branches but if it’s not close to his house, I’m not entirely sure I see the issue but be careful about wall foundations . Many are shallow or non existent.

Some of the responses on this thread...just bizarre.

If he is an elderly man it is completely understandable that he does not want to randomly knock on someone's door and face potential verbal or even physical aggression.

If you have issues with the request OP you can always go to him and have a chat...

Maybe you can reach a compromise and you can trim your tree a bit if it really is causing too much shade in his garden.

It really is not worth making a mountain out of a molehill.

I must say you come across as really patronising towards an elderly man who seem to be a quiet neighbour and who has only made a couple of non unreasonable request about you keeping your garden under control over the years.

Do you really think I come across as patronizing, @Rainandsunsea ? I must say I don't see it at all in my posts. I don't have an issue per se - it is a discussion forum so why not post about something that we think about, or would like others' opinion on? I wanted to see what other people would think, and whether most would agree the shrub should be trimmed. I said a few times that I make sure it is not overhanging his side, that I would thin it in winter, and might trim it if it doesn't inconvenience me. It is his choice to put letters through the door and not ring the doorbell and I see why he would do it. I just said he does that to explain that I have never had a chance to speak to him. With garden walls 2 m high I obviously never see him. We've been here 18 months, so his requests are hardly repeated over the years? He knows well we're new, because he referred to us as new (he thougth then tenants) in his first letter. His tone is quite demanding, and slightly haughty, but I don't have a gruge against him; it may be his style or he is not aware of it. I don't have an issue with that, it just made me laugh.

Yes @MeetMeOnTheCorner it has been trimmed like that and we maintain it. It is easy on my side, and the gardener climbed the wall do do the other side in winter. The neighbour has a shed or something there so there is a buffer for any branches, but I checked yesterday and it looks fine. He clearly minds the height only. There's no issue of overshadowing his house, because the bay grows some 8 m from it.
Do you mean foundations of the house? There aren' any there, it's just the intersection of the garden walls.

@PinkCameliasOur magnolia tree overhangs our neighbours. Our neighbours magnolia overhangs their neighbours! There are rules about this sort of thing and you’re not breaking any of them.

My parents had a neighbour who wrote to them about their hedge when they first moved in. He was known for complaining to the council about everyone. They did cut it back and had a good relationship with him. Then out of the blue nasty letters started arriving years later. It was the onset of Alzheimer’s and he’d fluctuate between outrage and devastation when his wife pulled him up on what he was doing. Just something to keep in mind if he’s elderly - obviously not your fault though.

Do you mean the edible sort? Rather unusual for a bay tree to get to that size in the UK climate.

Tbh I really wouldn’t start doing what he asks as he’ll think it’s his right to dictate your garden. He can control whatever hangs over from his garden but you can have what you like in yours

Yes, but we're not in the UK! Sorry i didn't specify that in the OP, but it didn't seem relevant to the question, because the rules on trees and boundaries are the same. And people are the same everywhere too :) Bay trees grow well here, and the climate is similar to south UK.

@PinkCamelias No I meant the foundations for the garden walls. There should be foundations but if they don’t, the tree and its roots could be disruptive to the stability of the wall. 8 m really is not far! That’s less than the length of my lounge! Is it taking his light? That’s very close!

I am quite sure any foundations are fine. These walls are 120 years all and look very sturdy. When we removed the ivy, there was no damage to the wall from its roots. The neighbour has several plants, including vines and wisteria, against the wall.

No, the shrub does not take any light from his house. First there is another neighbours garden, then mine (we're at the intersection and I am perpendicular to them). Maybe it is more than 8 m - I can't measure that, it is a length of the other neighbour's not too big, but not quite a courtyard garden. Also, all the houses are several m tall, my shrub is a tiny fraction of their height.